Taped aerosol valve assembly



March 28, 1967 R. F. WONNEMAN TAPED AEROSOL VALVE ASSEMBLY Filed Oct. 22, 1965 H "A m m u mN a mm Gilsm I 5 v0 H11? A 6. WW M 5 5: E C 4 N M B m United States Patent OfiFice 3,311,230 TAPED AEROSOL VALVE ASSENELY Roman Francis Wonneman, 9621 Harding Ave, Baltimore, Md. 21234 Filed Oct. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 500,561 6 Claims. (Cl. 206-56) The present invention relates to an improved assemblage of aerosol container dip tube valve closures for insertion as closures to containers for pressurized gas and liquid or solid constituents to be discharged in the form of spray or foam through the dip tubes and valves. More particularly the invention is directed to the provision of an assemblage of aerosol dip tube closures in the form of pivots or links in a chain which can be coiled and uncoiled folded and unfolded without entanglement, distorting or, damaging the closures and in which the closures can be separated individually in succession in alignment for insertion in upright form in a series of containers automatically as well as by hand.

Aerosol container closures herebefore have been assembled in separate unconnected relation to each other in bags, boxes and piles during storage and shipment for ubsequent selection, elevation and alignment individually for insertion in successive containers with the inherent disadvantage and demerit of having many of them entangled, distorted, defective, difiicult and tedious to select elevate and align for insertion into containers either automatically by machine or manually by hand.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an assemblage that eliminates these disadvantages in a simple, economical and facile way.

Accordingly, the present invention provides, briefly stated a chain assemblage of aerosol closures each comprising a container closure cup having an upper axially superposed valve body and a lower axially pendant pliable plastic dip tube arranged upright in spaced apart relation in a row with an upper portion of each dip tube between two strips of adhesive tape extending longitudinally along the row and a portion of one strip adhesively joined together in a single plane with a portion of the other strip in intermediate spaces on diametrically opposite sides of each one of the tubes longitudinally of the row, and with a semicircular loop of each strip surrounding a diametric half of the upper portion of each one of the dip tubes between them.

More specifically, the present invention in the best mode of practicing the invention employs a second pair of strips of adhesive tape as aforesaid lower down the row of dip tubes.

The accompanying drawings show for purposes of exemplification the best mode of embodying and practicing the present invention. The invention is not limited in all its aspects thereto since much of the advantage of the invention may be attained by employing only one pair of strips, or more than two pair of strips, and the upper cup cap portions may be plastic rather than metal. Hence the invention is not to be limited to the best mode hereinafter described.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a part of chain assemblage emboding the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal cross sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic view of a part of an aerosol container with one of the closure therein.

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic view of the chain assemblage rolled in a coil.

FIGURE 5 is a view diagrammatically illustrating the assemblage of the chain at an indexing disc for assembling the parts of the closure chain together.

As will be seen from FIGURE 1, each aerosol container 3311,23 Patented Iviar. 28, 1967 closure comprises an upper cup cap 10' for closing the opening 11 of a pressure container 12 adapted to be partially filled to a level with liquid or fluent solid or semisolid material 13 and gas 14 under pressure below the top 15 of the container 12. The cap 10 carries a superposed plastic valve body 16 and a pendant plastic dip tube 17 requiring elevation of the container closure 18 for insertion of the dip tube 17 to above the container opening 11 by lowering the tube into the container before seating the cap 10 into the container opening 11.

As will be seen from FIGURES 1, 2 and 5, a plurality of the container closures 18 are arranged upright in a row with an upper portion 19 of each dip tube 17 between two strips 20, 21 of flexible tape having adhesive on their inner surfaces. The strips extend longitudinally of the row of tubes 17 and closures 18. A portion 22 of one strip 21 is adhesively joined with a portion 23 of the other strip 21 on diametrically opposite sides of the portion 19 of each tube 17 longitudinally of the row, FIG- URE 2, and a semicircular loop 24 of each strip 20, 21 partially surrounds a diametric half of the upper portion 19 of each dip tube 17 between them. A second pair of strips 25, 26 are likewise provided at a lower level longitudinally of the row of tubes 17.

As will be seen from FIGURE 4, a chain assemblage with the aerosol container closure as pivots is there provided which can be coiled and uncoiled, and also interfolded as well as being easily individually separated from each other one at a time, both manually in succession as well as also automatically at the jaws of a closure inserting machine, to have their cups 1% grasped while the two strips 20, 21 are peeled apart to leave the dip tube 17 free to descend with their cups 10 to enter a container as seen in FIGURE 3.

As will be seen from FIGURE 4, the chain assemblage is easily formed at the place of assembling the individual closures 18 where the various parts 17, 10 and 16 are assembled in several successive stages 29 at an indexing station 30. The finally assembled closures are then fed along one at a time in a straight line with the portion 19 of each dip tube 17 inserted in between two strips of tape 20, 21 from two rolls of tape 31, 32. Two opposing pairs of press jaws 33 move together to press together and adhesively join together in a single plane a portion of both tapes on both of two diametrically opposite sides longitudinally of the two strips 20, 21 and row of tubes 17 of the tube portion 19 of each one of the tubes 17 as they individually enter between the two strips 21), 21. The space between the jaws of each pair is such as to leave a semicircular loop of each strip 20, 21 partially surrounding and adhesively contacting the two diametric halves of each portion 19. After this operation, the two strips 20, 21 are advanced as a chain with the tubes 17 as the pivots of the links of a chain away from the rolls 31, 32, jaws 33 and indexing station 39. A like operation takes place for the lower pair of strips 25, 26 in conjunction with the lower portions of tube 17. The row of tubes as thus assembled together is then rolled, folded, and cut into separate chain assemblages and packaged for storage or distribution for later insertion of the individual closure 18 of the assemblage into containers as seen in FIG- URE 3.

The invention as herein above set forth is embodied in particular form but may be variously embodied within the claims.

I claim:

'1. A bulk article of aerosol container closures comprising, in combination: a chain assemblage of aerosol closures each comprising a container closure cup having an upper axially superposed valve body and a lower axially pendant pliable plastic dip tube arranged upright in spaced apart relation in a row with an upper portion of each dip tube between two strips of adhesive tape extending longitudinally along the row, and a portion of one strip adhesively joined together in a single plane with a portion of the other strip in intermediate spaced on diametrically opposite sides of each one of the tubes longitudinally of the row and with semicircular loops of each strip partially surrounding and adhesively holding a diametrical half of the portion of each one of the dip tubes between them.

2. A bulk article as claimed in claim 1, and which also includes a second pair of strips of adhesive tape as defined in claim 1 but lower down the row of dip tubes.

3. An article as claimed in claim 2, and in which the tape comprises adhesive that is self sealing under applied pressure and in which the tape is of a resilient plastic material.

4. An article as claimed in claim 3, and in which the tape comprises woven fabric material.

4 5. An article as claimed in claim 3, and in which the tape comprises paper.

6. An article as claimed in claim 3, and in which the tape comprises metal foil.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,744,026 1/1930 Baltzley 215-51 2,379,934 7/1945 'Seiferth 206-56 2,769,533 11/1956 Booth 20656 2,982,595 5/ 1961- Rogers 2-27-136 3,129,814 4/1964 Cheh et al. 206-56 3,246,739 4/1966 Sable 206-56 3,255,873 6/1966 Speelman 206-56 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

D. W. DIXSON, 111., Assistant Examiner. 

1. A BULK ARTICLE OF AEROSOL CONTAINER CLOSURES COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A CHAIN ASSEMBLAGE OF AEROSOL CLOSURES EACH COMPRISING A CONTAINER CLOSURE CUP HAVING AN UPPER AXIALLY SUPERPOSED VALVE BODY AND A LOWER AXIALLY PENDANT PLIABLE PLASTIC DIP TUBE ARRANGED UPRIGHT IN SPACED APART RELATION IN A ROW WITH AN UPPER PORTION OF EACH DIP TUBE BETWEEN TWO STRIPS OF ADHESIVE TAPE EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY ALONG THE ROW, AND A PORTION OF ONE STRIP ADHESIVELY JOINED TOGETHER IN A SINGLE PLANE WITH A PORTION OF THE 